Success up to week 11 – do we really need to stop at week 12?

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I’m currently on week 11 of the Fast800 and have made some good progress:

• Weight: from 91KG to 74KG (loss of 16KG). End target is 72.5KG
• Waist: from 107.5cm to 87.5cm (loss of 20cm). End Target is 85cm
• Bodyfat: from 33.8% to 21.1% (loss of 12.7%). End target is 20%
• Visceral Fat Score (measured on Omron Body Compistion Analyser): from a score of 15 to a score of 9. End target is 7.5
• BMI: from 30.9 to 25.6 (end target is <24.7).

So: so far, so good. I spent a good bit of time really planning my meal options (in the house and when out) in advance and this has kept things simple. I am packing my 800cal with the right level of macronutrients – all within a 12-8pm window along with increased physcial activity – and I have found I am really enjoying the process.

My question is as follows:

In the Fast 800 book Michael Mosley says if we choose the rapid 800 route we should do it for ‘up to 12 weeks’. This sounds like he is recommending a hard stop at 12 weeks regardless of where we are – is that right? If so, do we know what the phsyisological-biological reasons for it being wise to stop at week 12 – as opposed to say week 10 or 14 – are? Is there any real reason why we wouldnt just want to continue to, say, week 13 to hit our goals?

And when we do eventually stop is there any advice about the rate at which we re-introduce our calorie intake (on non fast days if we transition to 5:2)? Should we go straight to up to the RDA of 2000 / 2500 calories or layer them in incrementally? If incrementally, at what incremental rate?

I realise I am not that far off of the end targets and can probably achieve this via 5:2. However, I would much prefer to continue with the existing momentum and hit the targets in full Fast800 mode if i can.

I believe that he says 12 weeks as there was a study performed up to 12 weeks and he doesn’t have any data beyond the 12 weeks so he can only legally say 12 weeks for now.

There are however people on this forum who have gone further than 12 weeks with no detriment to themselves so I don’t think it would be a problem if you still have weight to lose.

There isn’t a set plan for what to do when you complete, however, I think the best approach upon reaching your final target is a slow increase in calories but maintaining the macros, so as to not overload your body which a sudden change, plus it will help you to find the point at which maintenance works best for you.

You could take a few days off the diet and just try to maintain your current good results, then go back on it. Doing the diet more than once is fine, and having a go at maintaining your weight will be helpful for once you’ve reached your targets and switch permanently to that phase.

That’s sort of what I did. I never did the diet very strictly, but I had phases of doing it kind of properly and then easing up and just avoiding the bad carbs and trying not to put weight back on. There’s quite a bit of trial and error involved in working out what each of us can eat and still maintain our weight and I’m still working on the perfect balance a year after reaching my target. (Please don’t let that put you off – this isn’t a difficuilt struggle, just me seeing what I can get away with!)

Hello, RomanoGat! N1knak makes some val1d po1nts here. 1 also bel1eve that there 1sn’t suff1c1ent case stud1es that go beyond 12 weeks. However, there are many of us 1n th1s commun1ty that have gone far beyond those parameters w1th absolutely
no deter1mental effects. 1 cont1nued on for 10 months w1thout any 1nterrupt1on at 800cal/<20 carbs. My reward for
do1ng so y1elded a total loss of 10stone, wh1ch 1’ve ma1nta1ned for over 2 years. There 1s a process called the “reverse
d1et”, where you gradually 1ncrease your calor1es from 800 to 850cal 1n week one, then 900cal 1n week 2, etc., st1ll
keep1ng carbs low, unt1l you reach your TDEE. (total da1ly energy expend1ture). 1 cont1ned to lose we1ght dur1ng th1s
per1od, and 1t gave me a good b1t of w1ggle room, by do1ng so. At th1s po1nt 1 allowed my carbs to go up a b1t, unt1l
1 found the sweet spot for me, wh1ch 1n my case 1s 35g per day. Others w1ll be along to share the1r exper1ence, too.
Very best w1shes,

Hi, If you want to continue beyond 12 weeks I would strongly recommend that you either stick to less than 20g of carbs or learn how to monitor if you are in ketosis (fat burning mode).
There have been studies following the outcome for people taking part in the biggest loser TV program. An american program where a group of very obese people are taken into a community, provided with fitness instructors who work them hard and a strict calorie counted diet. The person who has lost the least amount of weight each week is evicted from the competition. The person who looses the most weight over the program which lasts less than 6 months wins a lot of money.
The problem / reason they never have a reunion is that all of the contestants regain their weight. The research shows that by calorie counting but including carbs in their diet their base metabolic rate has dropped by more than 500 calories a day.
The research suggests, that if you keep carbs low, so that insulin levels are low and your body can freely access your fat stores then your body does not go into starvation mode and reduce your metabolic rate.
How many carbs are too much, thats dependant on how insulin resistant you are, so how high your background levels of insulin are, how high and long insulin peaks when you do eat any carbs. Research shows you will be in ketosis on less than 20g of carbs a day. You may be able to go higher upto 50g or 100g of carbs for an endurance athlete. But the only way to find out for sure is to test. Not using unreliable methods like the pee sticks. But testing either blood or breath for the byproducts of ketones. I use a cheap breathalyser to do this, and if you search you will find where I have posted links to articles on which breathalyser and how to use.
——————-
Is it possible to ever return to not being insulin resistant. Yes, if you keep it low for a long time it will reverse.

My suggestion for eating when you get to maintenance is different to what others have suggested. What you are doing at present is keeping low carb, moderate protein, and the rest of your calories come from fat in your diet or in your body. When you want to not use the fat in your body you need to increase the fat in your diet. So you can add more melted butter over veg, or salad dressings, or double cream with your coffee to increase calories while keeping the other macros steady.

Eating such a low calorie diet every day over the longer term is at odds with the recommendation for a properly balanced and very varied Mediterranean style diet. It just is not possible to get all the of the phytoantioxidants/ vitamins/ minerals/ essential fatty acids/ different prebiotic fibres we need for long term health.

Topping up with pills, potions or powders is absolutely fine for a while, but they cannot fully replace a really wide variety of wholefoods. If you were being prescribed a low calorie diet medically, you could expect to have periodic full blood screens to check what needs adjusting nutritionally.

To give you an idea of the variety that Dr Mosley advocates, in the Clever Guts Diet he suggests at least seven servings of vegetables and (to a lesser extent) fruit each day, and twenty to thirty different varieties each week (p.191)!

Since I am almost at target and have another week to go it sounds like it would make sense to gradually increase the calories while keeping the macronutrient % level as an exercise in maintenance and then – if need be – have another focused spell.

So now i need to put the same amount of thought and preparedness into maintenance as i did with the original. Since I’ve stuck to a couple of simple meals the first order of the day is getting more variety into the mix.

1 th1nk you’ve “got th1s”, RomanoGat! Please keep 1n touch, because there are as many ways to approach ma1ntenance
as there are personal1t1es here. 1 agree that ma1ntenance 1s a new adventure, w1th far more opt1ons than the
Fast800. S1mply another “learn1ng curve” to master 🙂 Very best to you,

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Bringing together the latest research into the Mediterranean-style diet, intermittent fasting and high intensity exercise, Dr Michael Mosley has integrated The Blood Sugar Diet into his comprehensive lifestyle plan, The Fast 800. Join The Fast 800 email community for science-based healthy living news, recipes and exclusive community offers delivered straight to your inbox.